Milk bottle receiver



March 7, 1933. c. B. OSTER ET AL MILK BOTTLE RECEIVER Filed May 4, 1931 .4 miiiliiil' Inventons,

Rainey and I Harry Cane/[us 5. 00 half, a; m

llffornel es.

Patented Mar. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CORNELIUS B. OSTE'R AND HARRY RAINEY, OF RUSHVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-FOURTH TO HARRIE JONES, OF RUSHVILLE, INDIANA, AND ONE-FOURTH TO CLARENCE COLE, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA 7 MILK BOTTLE RECEIVER Application filed May 4, 1931. Serial No; 534,858

This invention relates to means for holding milk bottles and the like and has for one of its primary objects the provision of means for preventing the theft of milk bottles, filled or empty.

Milk is now commonly delivered in hottles'from house to house on a regular route, the delivery man picking up empty bottles and leaving filled bottles as he goes along the route. In many cases,he delivers the milk in the early morning hours before the consumer arises and the empty bottles are, therefore, generally set out the night before and the filled bottles are left on a porch or step subject to be stolen or knocked over.

Our invention is designed to prevent empty bottles from .being knocked over and broken and to prevent the filled bottles from being removed after delivery by unwarranted persons. Also, our invention provides a. neat receptacle for holding bottles up OK the floor and provides for the easy reception or removal of the bottles It further provides a safe place for retainlng a check or card to be picked up by the delivery man.

A further object is to prevent removal of the bottle caps and to cover the caps to prevent dirt from accumulating thereon.

These and other objects will become apparent in the following description of the invention as shown in one particular form in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a structure embodying our invention;

Fig. 2, a fragmentary top plan view of one end of the structure;

Fig. 3, a fragmentary side elevation of the structure with the cover open; and

Fig. 4:, a similar fragmentary side elevation with the cover closed.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views in the drawing.

' We form a back plate 10 here shown as be ing provided with a plurality of holes 11 therethrough to receive screws or the like therethrough to attach the plate to the side or wall of a house (not shown). A shelf 12 projects forwardly from the bottom edge of the plate 10 and has the, ends 13 and 14 joining therebetween to serve as braces. Preferably, the shelf slopes upwardly somewhat away from the plate. The shelf is cut out from its forward edge to have U-shaped notches 15 therein, here shown as two in number, of just sufiicient size and of proper shape to receive therein the necks of milk bottles 16 whereby the overhanging ring 17 about the mouth of the bottles may rest on the shelf to permit the bottles to hang thereby. The edges of the notches 15 are turned downwardly to form the flange 18 therearound to reinforce the shelf and prevent the bending of it.

.A box-like cover 19 is pivoted by its ends to the ends 13 and 14 so as to be free to be rocked therebetween and has a lock 20 on its forward side which has a projecting spring latch 21 adapted to engage an edge of the slot 22 formed in the forward edge of the shelf 12, when the cover is dropped down. 'The cover 19 is sopivoted that when it is in the open position it is tilted back from the vertical position somewhat so as tolean rearwardly against the plate 10. In that position, the rear side 23 of the cover extends forwardly a distance over the rear part of the notch 15. i

No'w when a bottle 16 is entered into a notch 15, the bottle rings 17 strikes the cover side 23 and pushes it rearwardly to rock the cover around from the osition in Fig. 3 to cause it todrop forwardly to the position in Fig. 1 to cause the cover then to'be locked to the shelf 12 by the latch 21 springing into place. The forward wall 24 of the cover then extends downwardly sufficiently to pre vent the withdrawal of the bottle from the notch, and the bottle is thus securely held until the lock=20v is operated to release the latch 21 to permit raising of the cover.

The cover 19 is provided with spring clips 25 as means for retaining therein milk tickets, checks, money, or the like for the attention of the delivery man, and suitable advertising matter or identification may be displayed on the plate 10' above the cover.

Both the consumerv and the delivery man may be supplied with keys to the lock. The I consumer places the empty bottles in the receiver and closes the cover 19. lVhen the delivery man arrives he unlocks the lock 20, raises the cover 19 and swings it back against the plate 10, slips out the empty bottles and slips in the filled bottles to cause them to rock the cover which drops automatically to the locked position, and the delivery man goes on his way.

While we have here shown and described our invention in the best form as now known to us, it is obvious that structural changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and we, therefore, do not desire to be limited to that precise form, nor any more than may be required by the following claims.

e claim:

1. In a receiver for bottles having a laterally projecting ring around their mouths, holding means for suspending a bottle by said ring, and a bottle cover mounted to swing past a vertical plane in opening, said cover having a rear lateral flange which is contacted by the bottle to automatically close the cover over the bottle mouth by contact of the bottle with the cover flange.

2. I11 a receiver for bottles having a laterally projecting ring around their mouths, holding means for suspending a bottle by said ring, and a bottle cover mounted to swing past a vertical plane in opening, said cover having a rear lateral flange which is contacted by the bottle to automatically close the cover over the bottle mouth by contact of the bottle with the cover flange, and lock means carried by the cover to prevent removal of the bottle from the holding means.

3. In a receiver for bottles having a Drojecting ring about their months, a shelf having a back plate and a notch formed in the shelf opening from an edge thereof adapted to receive the neck of a bottle within the notch to permit the bottle to be suspended from said ring, and a box-like cover comprising a rectangular plate having lateral front, back and end walls with sides pivoted to swing off-center when raised into stopping contact with the back plate, and with its back side extending over said notch in the path of a bottle inserted in the notch to cause said cover to drop over said notch by pressure of the bottle against said side.

t. In a receiver for bottles having a projecting ring about their mouths, a shelf having a back plate and a notch formed in the shelf opening from an edge thereof adapted to receive the neck of a bottle within the notch to permit the bottle to be suspended from said ring, and a box-like cover comprising a rectangular plate having lateral front, back and end walls with Sides pivoted to swing off-center when raised into stopping contact with the back plate, and 

